Nov. 13, 2006

Toyota Announces Winners of FY2006 Environmental Activities Grant Program

 

Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today the 25 winners of the FY2006 Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program, who will receive a total of 170 million yen. In the seven years between FY2000 and FY2006, the cumulative total of grants given by the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program has amounted to approximately 1.24 billion yen, supporting 113 projects in 40 countries.

The Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program was launched in commemoration of TMC's receipt of the Global 500 Award*, in 1999, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Since then, the program has been supporting practical projects concerning environmental education and environmentally sound technology implemented by non-profit/non-governmental organizations and groups. During the application period between May and July 2006, 548 applications were received, with 424 coming in under the original category of "general grants" (with no restriction regarding project implementation site(s) and the limit of the grant amount) and 124 coming in under the category of "small-scale grants" (which focus on community-based grassroots activities with a limit on the grant amount).

The program's selection committee, consisting of a group of experts from Japan and elsewhere around the world and chaired by Dr. Keiko Nakamura, director general of the JT Biohistory Research Hall, deliberated intensely while selecting the 2006 grantees. The entries were judged on criteria such as: appropriateness of the projects; continuity and future development; clear demonstration of the necessity of funding; and the level of collaboration with local communities. The grant program will support the chosen projects for up to three years for "general grants", and up to one year for "small-scale grants".

* An award program (1987 to 2003) established by the UNEP to recognize individuals or organizations that contribute to greater environmental protection or improvement in terms of sustainable development. TMC received the award for being the world’s first to development and mass produce hybrid vehicles.
1. Grant Project Statistics by Year and Region
Project Implementation Sites Total sum FY2006 FY2005 FY2004 FY2003 FY2002 FY2001 FY2000
Sub total Category Sub total Category Sub Total Sub Total Sub Total Sub Total Sub Total
General Small-scale General Small-scale
Japan 36 12 0 12 13 0 13 1 1 3 3 3
The Americas 13 3 3 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 4 1
Asia 46 7 7 0 7 7 0 10 3 9 6 4
Europe 7 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 1 1
Africa 10 3 3 0 1 1 0 4 2 0 0 0
Others 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Total 113 25 13 12 24 11 13 16 10 15 14 9
2. FY2006 Awardees of the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program
Category Project Title Organization (Country) Implementation Sites
General Grants Ground Water Recharge and Water & Soil Conservation Technology for Poor Farmers in Rajasthan Humana People to People India (India) India
Clean Water for Rural Communities in West Kalimantan Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia Kalimantan Barat (Indonesia) Indonesia
The Maya Nut Program; Finding Balance between People, Food and Forests The Equilibrium Fund (U.S.A.) Honduras
Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Fishing Resource in Lake Izabal and Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge, Guatemala Fundacion Defensores de la Naturaleza (Guatemala) Guatemala
The Power of Participation: Bringing Environmentally-Friendly Electricity to Remote River Basins in the Peruvian Amazon MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) (Peru) Peru
Environmental Education and Economic Empowerment For Today's Youths: A Strategy for Sustaining Our Tomorrow CENCOMDEV - Centre for Community Development (Nigeria) Nigeria
Integrated Strategies and Communities to Protect and Restore Water Quality of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Development Centre Nepal (DC Nepal) (Nepal) Nepal
Sustainable Waste Management through Environmental Education for Manure Recovery and Natural Resource Management through Self Help Groups and Student Communities Non-conventional Energy and Rural Development (NERD) Society (India) India
Dissemination of Environmental Information and Its Utilization in Environmental Conservation in Mongolia Mongol Eco Forum - Mongolia (Mongolia) Mongolia
Sustainable Rural development in Tibet Global Environmental Institute (China) China
Community Based Environmental Restoration and Conservation Project in Critically Damaged Areas of Puerto Princesa, Palawan Palawan Conservation Corps (Philippines) Philippines
Wild Silk and Honey Bee Farming for Income Generation and Biodiversity Conservation through Value Chain Approach International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) (Kenya) Kenya
Sustainable Management and Conservation of Drylands Natural Resources and Watersheds (Surface Water) in the Western Coastal Desert of Egypt Environment and Human Development Association (EHDA) (Egypt) Egypt
Small-scale Grants Eco-Green Tourism to Vitalize People and the Area Ikoma Rice Terrace Club (Japan) Japan
Project to Support Environmental Education in the Downstream Area of Tama River NPO Community and Partnership Support Center (Japan)
Maintenance of A Permanent Nesting Place for Little Terns and the Survey on Their Nesting Environments Little Tern Project (Japan)
Matagi Nature School NPO Institute for Environmental Planning and Exchange between Rural and Urban Areas (Japan)
Practice of Outdoor Nursing without A Building NPO Kodomo-no Hiroba (Forum for Children) - Mominoki (fir trees) (Japan)
Development of a Children's Program "Physical Checkup of Forests" Forestry Volunteer Committee doing along the Yahagi River (Japan)
Restoration of Amamo (zostera) Beds and Network of Mountains, Rivers, Villages, Lakes and the Sea Amamo Supporters (Japan)
"Satoyama (natural woodlands near local populated area)" Volunteer Leader Training Project Sanson Jyuku (Japan)
Misayamagoudo "Iyashinosato (Healing Village)" Project Step Up Seminar (Japan)
Environmental Internship Project Association of Technical Research on Forests and Waterside (Japan)
Education to Develop People with Environmental Consciousness – Social Knowledge/Blessing of Time – NPO School of Iron (Japan)
Urayatsu Restoration Project Urayatsu Restoration Committee (Japan)
3. FY2006 Selection Committee Members
Dr. Keiko Nakamura (Chair) Director General, JT Biohistory Research Hall (Japan)
Dr. Motoyuki Suzuki Professor, University of the Air (Japan)
Dr. Eiji Hosoda Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University (Japan)
Dr. Ashok Khosla President, Development Alternatives (India)
Dr. Peterson Myers CEO, Environmental Health Sciences and Board Chair, National Environmental Trust (U.S.A.)
Dr. Göran A. Persson Chairman, Euro-CASE Energy and Environment Platform (Sweden)
Mr. Yasumori Ihara Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Cooperation (Japan)

Further information on the grant program can be obtained from:

Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program Secretariat
Phone: +81-3-3272-1925 (Mon-Fri: 09:30-17:30, Japan Standard Time)
Fax: +81-3-3272-1926